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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2017 21:22:44 GMT -5
Now that I have come to terms with the fact that a CEO/Owner of a struggling company & the biggest name our sport has & has had for the last several years could not come to terms or did not want to come to terms for the good of this sport & its fans here is my question...(Without rehashing all our other arguments in the previous threads) Who will the new face of the AVP be? Who has the voice, the media presence, etc...to carry this sport in the next several years? Will it be one of the young men on tour? One of the Crabb Brothers possibly? Theo? April taking the reins from KW & running with it? Summer Ross? OR quite possibly a joint effort by committee? Let's face it..Fans have their favorites. Every sports fan has them. What current athlete in the AVP right now, man or. Woman can turn the heads or have the potential to turn the heads of NBC Sports and have them say..."We want to cover this sport this Sunday"...or we want so & so to be in the finals this Sunday because our viewership will be great? A very important thing for Donald Sun to address is getting more fans to the game and keeping them long after their favorite athletes leave the game or move on or whatever. He gets there by marketing his athletes! Who are those athletes? I haven't given my answer yet because I have no clue. Karch & Kent, Misty & Kerri, Even Holly & Elaine, back in the day they could market the 💩💩💩 out of. Not one person I can see this with. That will be Donald's challange in 2017.
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Post by downtheline on Apr 30, 2017 22:18:02 GMT -5
If KW is/was the main draw for fans why didn't that translate into big sponsorship deals for her or the promoters?
How did her Ascics line pan out?
Where is the product pull through that connects her to a brand her fan base will buy from?
This is the disconnect that has always plagued Volleyball. What mainstream product(s) connect the sport to fans.
Speaking to vendors at various venues many struggle to identify metrics that will keep them coming back and investing more marketing dollars.
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Post by wilsonthevolleyball2 on Apr 30, 2017 22:33:42 GMT -5
Well, we just need someone to win an Olympic Gold. Barring that...... good luck.
As others have pointed out, sponsors barely cared even when Kerri WAS on tour, so I don't think theres any chance of them trying to rally behind someone else. As for the AVP itself, I think the league will just rotate "faces", try and showcase all of their top players. Whoever wins in Huntington may be the next big face showcased, and they just go from there depending on who wins.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2017 22:49:16 GMT -5
I can't speak for all fans obviously, but I have 3 Kerri Volleyballs in my home. Have bought Kerri Asics sneakers. Did buy from her asics clothing line. I did my part! Lol..I have followed Kerris career since she got out of Stanford. Yes, I'm old! 😜 I never said Kerri was the main draw because there are many other great athletes. I am saying she is or was the "face of the AVP". Granted I have only been to 4 AVP events, but each time, you could not just walk up and get an autograph. The line was a mile long. Whether that made her the main draw is open to opinion. My question is who can take over that role at tournaments, TV presence, etc.?
To answer your question...The major mainstream product that would connect fans would be an alcohol 🍺 product. For some reason, they are staying far away from the sport, yet they will sponsor NASCAR. I don't get it.
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Post by FOBRA on Apr 30, 2017 22:58:43 GMT -5
To answer your question...The major mainstream product that would connect fans would be an alcohol 🍺 product. For some reason, they are staying far away from the sport, yet they will sponsor NASCAR. I don't get it. You can't sell (or drink) alcohol on a lot of the public beaches they use as venues. That makes it a difficult sell to companies. |
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Post by guest2 on May 2, 2017 13:31:47 GMT -5
I can't speak for all fans obviously, but I have 3 Kerri Volleyballs in my home. Have bought Kerri Asics sneakers. Did buy from her asics clothing line. I did my part! Lol..I have followed Kerris career since she got out of Stanford. Yes, I'm old! 😜 I never said Kerri was the main draw because there are many other great athletes. I am saying she is or was the "face of the AVP". Granted I have only been to 4 AVP events, but each time, you could not just walk up and get an autograph. The line was a mile long. Whether that made her the main draw is open to opinion. My question is who can take over that role at tournaments, TV presence, etc.? To answer your question...The major mainstream product that would connect fans would be an alcohol 🍺 product. For some reason, they are staying far away from the sport, yet they will sponsor NASCAR. I don't get it. One reason bvb may no longer appeal as much to alcohol sponsors is the lifestyle element is dead and gone. Compare a 28 year old Andrew Smith to the current roster of parents and 40 year olds and you can see why beer sponsors may be less interested than they once were. Also misogynist though it may be, the women from the old bikini contests have essentially been replaced by female players and in terms of selling a lifestyle, its less attractive. |
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Post by trek4sa on May 2, 2017 13:44:26 GMT -5
If you keep it REAL, Guest2 is dead on right..A LOT of the free spirit vibe is missing, gone.
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Post by ardatak on May 2, 2017 17:53:25 GMT -5
I'm probably in the minority here but I really don't understand this line of thinking. Why does the AVP need a "FACE". Is high level play by elite athlete's not enough? Maybe not. As a knowledgeable fan, I don't need some charismatic douche hogging the camera to make me follow the sport. Just show me good ball. Most of the top men's players are fairly calm and stoic and that's just fine with me. Some might put Casey in the FACE category but I find his behavior douchy and off-putting (regardless of how much you swear he's a great guy off the court).
To say that the AVP needs a FACE or some other type of marketing gimmick is to downplay the value and merrit of the sport itself. This isn't WWE.
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Post by johnbar on May 2, 2017 19:50:53 GMT -5
Every sport needs marketable stars. It helps if fans have someone to root for (or against).
But relying on a single "face" invites this kind of situation.
To be fair, I think the AVP has been trying to broaden its appeal beyond Kerri all along. But NBC sure has built its coverage around her.
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Post by wilsonthevolleyball2 on May 2, 2017 20:37:50 GMT -5
This is really a tricky situation for sure. True: fans of the sport don't need a "face": they appreciate the skill of the athletes, and probably know a bit about some of the players on tour at least. That said, the fact of the matter is NBC has made it clear it really does not care about beach volleyball at all. During the Ft.Lauderdale Major, you could practically hear the deflating sound coming from the higher ups after Kerri/April got knocked out of the tournament. So its going to be interesting to see how NBC reacts to a Kerri-less tour. In a way, the NHL has a somewhat similar problem, notwithstanding hockey fans, the league has yet to produce a "face" that everyone everywhere knows of: ie a Tom Brady, Maria Sharapova, A-Rod, etc. The NHL has the luxury to at least fall back on the teams themselves to market- beach volleyball obviously can't do that.
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Post by downtheline on May 2, 2017 21:20:51 GMT -5
They need faces, not just a face.
The elephant in the room problem is that the current face didn't work.
A world class athlete for sure, but that just has not pivoted into world class marketing & promotional opportunities "with legs" in years.
Not for the player(s), and not for the AvP. So how could it for any network?
Can someone please define the target demographic for any pro beach VB league? I would argue there must be a shift to the 12-25 yr. old box and there is no place for an aging star to support that market. It has nothing to do with KW, like her or not, Father Time kills off youth appeal.
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Post by guest2 on May 2, 2017 21:23:34 GMT -5
This is really a tricky situation for sure. True: fans of the sport don't need a "face": they appreciate the skill of the athletes, and probably know a bit about some of the players on tour at least. That said, the fact of the matter is NBC has made it clear it really does not care about beach volleyball at all. During the Ft.Lauderdale Major, you could practically hear the deflating sound coming from the higher ups after Kerri/April got knocked out of the tournament. So its going to be interesting to see how NBC reacts to a Kerri-less tour. In a way, the NHL has a somewhat similar problem, notwithstanding hockey fans, the league has yet to produce a "face" that everyone everywhere knows of: ie a Tom Brady, Maria Sharapova, A-Rod, etc. The NHL has the luxury to at least fall back on the teams themselves to market- beach volleyball obviously can't do that. Even dedicated fans are more active when there are compelling stars. when Sinjin and Steffes were the Kings of the Beach I would never miss an event. Now that its Phil and Casy, I am still a fan, but not nearly as committed. Its why the NBA slumped post the Jordan generation and when the Spurs/Pistons was the Finals matchup every year. Back in the day, everyone wanted to have a beer with the Hov. Unless I wanted a three hour lecture on the power of positive parenting, I wouldn't have a beer with Kerri for money, same with Phil who would probably cancel to get to sleep by 8 |
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2017 23:49:20 GMT -5
Every sport needs marketable stars. It helps if fans have someone to root for (or against). But relying on a single "face" invites this kind of situation. To be fair, I think the AVP has been trying to broaden its appeal beyond Kerri all along. But NBC sure has built its coverage around her. That's because KW is going to be sitting in NBCs announcers booth for the 2020 beach VB Olympic coverage. You heard it here first! |
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Post by johnbar on May 3, 2017 9:49:52 GMT -5
Every sport needs marketable stars. It helps if fans have someone to root for (or against). But relying on a single "face" invites this kind of situation. To be fair, I think the AVP has been trying to broaden its appeal beyond Kerri all along. But NBC sure has built its coverage around her. That's because KW is going to be sitting in NBCs announcers booth for the 2020 beach VB Olympic coverage. You heard it here first! Actually, I heard that last August, right after the bronze medal. |
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Post by guest2 on May 3, 2017 10:29:38 GMT -5
Every sport needs marketable stars. It helps if fans have someone to root for (or against). But relying on a single "face" invites this kind of situation. To be fair, I think the AVP has been trying to broaden its appeal beyond Kerri all along. But NBC sure has built its coverage around her. That's because KW is going to be sitting in NBCs announcers booth for the 2020 beach VB Olympic coverage. You heard it here first! Thats an idea right up there with putting Karch in the booth. I guess I will be muting NBC's coverage. Why not choose someone who is good at talking for the job that is exclusively talking? |
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